Reviews by Sinophile:

More User Reviews:

A: A golden beer with excellent clarity and a rocky white head that leaves some lacing.

S: A nice spicy nose with aroma of pepper, coriander and some clove. There is a medium-low, light colored fruit ester like apricots and peaches. Some light herbal-like character. A low, floral alcohol aroma.

T: A smooth honey like malt sweetness blended with spice and fruit. There is a medium-low earth and spicy hops flavor and bitterness. The balance leans towards the sweet and malty side with a medium finish. Some spice in the aftertaste.

M: A medium bodied beer with a moderately-strong level of carbonation. A noticeable alcohol warmth.

O: Another excellently crafted, balance beer from New Belgium. It's on the lighter side of the Tripel style but still packs a lot of fruit, spicy flavor with a nice balance of sweetness that doesn't overwhelm.

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle with a best before date on the side of the label. Info about the brewery and beer are on the label as well. One ounce of beer was left in the bottle with the dregs as to not cloud the brew.

Appearance: Right away two fingers of froth appear in the chalice, clinging lace is witnessed and in very good shape. Bubbly golden, looks like a tame brut.

Smell: Peaches and roses very aromatic, phenols and a melon like fruitiness round out the aroma as well.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Super crisp with a yeast palate right from the get go, not overwhelming but it is there. Light maltiness of doughy biscuits and harsh husk. Some busy phenols throw down a mix of herbal and medicinal magic with a touch of hop bitterness to boot. Vaguely fruity; starch plantains and faint peach. A breath of alcohol in the finish. The bitterness lingers for a good while into the after taste.

Notes: Very refreshing with the 8.5% abv being slightly hidden, quite the palate cleanser. Cabot has this Parmesan Cheddar blend, a perfect match with some mini rye bread. If you are into Trippels this is a must try, IMO this is a good stepping stone to jump into the vast world of Belgian Beer.

Pours too clear for a triple - red lights go off / no real head or lacing worth noting / funk smell - farmhouse maybe / no such luck on taste - more like a third than a triple - big disappointment - way too metallic / decent carbonation but who cares at this point / being a BIG Belgian Abby Triple fan I'd say this is almost laughable & would turn folks off to the thought of a triple - bummer dude

Nothing beats free beer unexpectedly like this one from Pipe and Pint today,poured a nice golden with a light orange hue with abig fluffy head that left nice lacing down the tulip glass.Very yeasty aroma a little spicey with some banana in there almost a weisse aroma in my mind.Flavors of very sweet pineapple and some over ripe banana,some honey,with a little phenolic smokiness but its faint.A very sold tripel not as good as some Belgian classics but hey I could stand to drink this anytime and it was free.

Appearance  Good head that stuck around for a while over a yellowish-orange beer that you can see through.

Smell  Very yeasty aroma with some fruit, predominantly citrus.

Taste  After drinking top-shelf Belgiums all week I was ready for a disappointment, but this stood the test. Its not as light in body as the color would suggest. Theres a nice mix of malt and full yeast complimented with banana and spices (maybe coriander) and, yes, a touch of hops.

Mouthfeel  Good mouthfeel. The moderated carbonation went well with the smoothness derived from the quality of its ingredients.

Drinkability  This is very easy to drink.

Comments  This is definitely one of the better New Belgiums available and, at 6.99 a six-pack, a true bargain. Straight 4s  a good comparison standard for American Belgiums.

Update: While taking notes on the 2004 vintage I noticed much more complexity in the nose. The orange notes are huge and the yeast made a perfect compliment. The orange in particular was raw and inviting.

I had a note of a funny aftertaste in my 2003 review that I deleted since I didnt find it with this most recent batch. I upped the Smell and Taste ratings by 0.5.

Poured a 12 oz bottle. Straw color, with nice looking head(although not the fluffly belgian one) and good lacing. Very clear. Smell- Nondescript smell-mild yeast spice but not hard to gather any type of smell

Flavor-Several flavors intermingling-mild sweetness, mild hop adding some citrus, bready on the swallow, and some spicy yeast pepper as well. There were alot of flavors but nothing that stood out. Alcohol was well hidden. Would be refreshing when hot.

Mouthfeel-Smooth and coating. Nice feel to this tripel.

Drinkability-This would be a tripel to drink on a hot day, but I'd probably look for something else if I wanted more flavor. Not a bad tripel, but not a great one.

The New Belgium Trippel pours from the bottle a nice darker golden orange color with a thin tightly bubbled white head atop the brew. Aromas are a nice mix of light fruit and spice upfront with a yeasty aroma that has notes of pepper, banana and bubblegum. Floral, herbal hops are well integrated to the aroma as well. An interesting aroma that brings you into the brew.

First sip brings a light, clean strudy maltiness that is quickly accompanied by a wave of light fruity flavors...banana, apple and a tasty peppery spiciness. Slightly bready yeastiness throughout with a nice snap of herbal, flowery hoppiness on the way down. Overall a nice interpretation of a tripel that's creamy, fairly sweet and easy to enjoy.

Mouthfeel has a nice body and steady carbonation that keeps it lively. There's only a hint of alcohol on the finish. I could see myself having a few of these in a sitting. Easily one of my favorites from the year round New Belgium line. Now if only I could get it in Illinois! Thanks to mentor for the hookup.

Light yellow body with a slight golden hue to it. Nice light 1" white head on the pour, reduced down slowly. Lots of carbonation bubbles rush to the surface. I left the yeast in the bottle so the pour was nice and clear. A little lacing is left on the glass.

Nice aroma. Light straw and some lemon and pear aromas come out. A touch of pepper and corriander. Belgian yeast comes out to finish it out. Pretty typical of the style with no apparent faults.

Straw with some slight graininess forms the malting for this one. Belgian yeast comes out and compliments this well. Flavor lacks some of the fruit the aromas hinted at. Finish is grassy hops with the slightest flicker of bitterness. Pretty good flavor, not super complex and lacks that spicy element I associate with the style. On the upside though, no signs of the alcohol level and nothing that totally turns me off to this one.

Mouthfeel is okay. Medium bodied but a little overly carbonated. Flavor coats the mouthwell but the prickly carbonation beats it away.

Okay drinkability. A good example of an American produced Triple and another solid offering from New Belgium. Easy enough to put down.